Zubizarreta admits Barcelona facing rebuilding plans

The departure of 32-year-old Valdes and 35-year-old Puyol will mark a real turning point for Barca, as they will be the first players to depart from their side which has become one of the most successful in footballing history.

"We knew that Victor Valdes wasn't going to stay, now we know that Carles Puyol isn't going to either," said sporting director Zubizarreta.

"They have been two obvious references in our squad. Just taking these two players into account, I would say that it's already now more than the tweaks we had envisaged."